Adjustable hammermill breakerplate



Nov. 29, 1960 A. w. CHRYST, JR., ETAL 2,962,233

ADJUSTABLE HAMMERMILL BREAKER PLATE Filed April 14, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR S AN'IUN W. CHRYST JR.

JOHN Buscw Nov. 29, 1960 A. w. CHRYST, JR., mm. 6

ADJUSTABLE HAMMERMILL BREAKER PLATE F'i1 ed April 14. 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS ON W,CHRYST,JR JOHN' NLBUSCH 1. ORNEY United States Patent O ADJUSTABLE HAMMERMILL BREAKER PLATE Anton W. Chryst, Jr., and John M. Busch, Minneapolis, Minn., assignors to Poor & Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 14, 1959, Ser. No. 806,251

3 Claims. (Cl. 241239) This invention relates to hammermills, and more particularly to a simple and practical means for readily effecting adjustment of a breaker plate in relation to the hammermill circle.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a breaker plate whose inner face is selectively fixed relative to the hammer circle, and held adjusted relative to said circle by the use of shims and suitable threaded bolt and nut connections between the plate and the mill frame, which connections in turn confine springs that urge the plate against the shims which are backed up by the said mill frame. Inasmuch as the force of the spring mounting for the lower edge of the breaker plate frictionally holds the shims tightly together against the mill frame, it is more or less diflicult to manually remove or adjust the shims even with the aid of suitable tools. In order to relieve this condition and provide time and labor saving means for adjusting the position of the face of the breaker plate with relation to the hammer circle, the present invention proposes to use, in combination with said shims, a hydraulic jack or cylinder which will compress the springs and move the breaker plate toward the said circle to free-up the shims.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel structural features which readily support the shims in proper position, While at the same time facilitate their mounting and replacement.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detail vertical sectional view of a portion of a hammermill illustrating the breaker plate mounting, the section being taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a prespective view of one of the shims.

Figure 4 is a detail rear perspective view of the breaker plate and its suspending pivot rod with the shims omitted, and the related structure in dotted lines for clarity.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

The hammermill designated generally as H is of conventional construction and the hammers thereof rotate in the direction of the arrow on the drive shaft, Figure 1, to follow the hammer circle H designated in dotted lines.

The breaker plate B is pivotally supported on suitable pivot means C carried by the frame F of the mill, and is preferably reversible, edge for edge.

This plate includes, on its rear face, a plurality of offset ribs, R, R and R". All of the ribs are provided with bifurcated lug portions having registering openings 2 for receiving the pivot rod C depending on its reversible position. The ribs R have closely spaced lugs 1, 1 as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

The frame part F of the mill carries a channel or ice equivalent structural shape -4 having a web 5 with spaced openings 6 and 7 (Fig. 2) to slidably receive the breaker plate mounting bolts 8. These bolts have externally screw threaded shank portions and are provided at their forward ends with suitable eyes 9 for receiving the bolt pivot pins 10, which in turn fit between the lugs 1-1 projecting from the rear face of the breaker plate B. The pivot pins 10 are appropriately held in position by suitable washers and cotter pins. The threaded shank portions of the bolts 8 which pass through the openings 6 and 7 ofthe channel 4 are provided with nuts 12 intended to cooperate with a sleeved washer 13 and an additional sleeve 14 abutting the outer face of the web 5 of thesaid structural member 4, thereby to confine, center and support springs 15. Since there are two threaded bolts 8, it will be understood that the descrip tion of one and its associated parts apply to both.

The web 5 of the structural member 4 is further provided at its intermediate portion with a pair of additional openings 16 spaced from each other at opposite sides of a larger opening 17, thereby permitting free passage of the forward ends of the adjustable arms 18 Whose threads receive nuts 19. These nuts engage the inner faceof the web. 5 of the structural member, while the outer ends 19 of the members 18 also are threaded as at 18 to receive nuts 20 to support a base plate 21 for a hydraulic jack or cylinder 22. The shaft 23 of the jack or cylinder 22 has its outer free end engaging the abutment 25 on the inner face of the breaker plate B.

As will be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the bolts 8 are intended to cooperate with a plurality of shims S which may be in the form of rectangular plates of different thicknesses as clearly apparent from Figure 2, for example. These shims preferably have slotted openings 26 for fitting over the bolts 8 and while their bottom edges 27 opposite the slots 28 are intended to rest upon the horizontal shim supports 29 secured to the inner edge of the structural element -4 and adjacent the ends of the breaker plate.

In operation, it will be understood that the breaker plate B including lugs 1-1, abutments 25 and 30 is normally spring urged outwardly of the hammer circle H. In order to effect inward adjustments for wear, or to regulate the size of the product, the lower edge of the breaker plate may be adjusted by manipulating the nuts 12 on the bolts 8, Within certain limits. Within these limits the shims S are interposed between the web 5 of the structural element 4, the lugs 11, and end abutments 30 carried by the rear face of the breaker plate B. When it is desired to relieve the shims of frictional contact caused by the springs 15, the hydraulic jack or cylinder is operated so that its shaft 23 engaging the middle abutment 25 on the breaker plate will push the lower edge of the breaker plate toward the hammer circle and permit the shims S to be separated and relieved of pressure for removal or insertion as circumstances require. Because of the presence of the blocks 29 which form platforms for engaging and supporting the lower edge portions of the shims S, it becomes a simple matter to lift the individual shims out of position or to reinsert them by resting the edge 27 on block 29 and bringing the slot 26 in registry with the related bolt 8.

We claim:

1. In a hammermill the combination including, a frame having rotary hammers mounted therein and defining a hammer circle, a breaker plate reversible edge for edge and pivotally supported in the frame for adjustment relative to said hammer circle, a plurality of ribs disposed transversely of the back of the plate and each having lug portions provided with eyes registering with eyes of adjacent ribs for receiving the pivot rod for the breaker plate, a structural member including a web mounted on Patented Nov. 29, 1960:

the frame and having openings, bolts pivoted atone end to the breaker plate and having their medial portions passing through the said openings, nut means threaded on the free ends of the bolts, springs confined between said structural member andsaid nuts tending to draw the breaker plate away from the hammer circle, a plurality of shims interposed between the rear of the breaker plate and the frame, and a hydraulic cylinder having its base fixed in the frame and a shaft in bearing contact with a lug on the rear of the breaker, whereby, upon the shaft being actuated the shims will be relieved of clamping pressure due to said springs to facilitate their removal.

2. In a hammermill according to claim 1, wherein the shims have a slot in one edge ,tofit over the bolts and bottom supporting edges at the end thereof opposite the slot, and shim supporting platforms on said structural member upon which the supporting edges of the shims rest.

3. An improvement in hammermills, comprising, the combination of, a frame, rotary hammers mounted therein and defining a hammer circle, a breaker plate reversible edge for edge and having spaced ribs on its rear face, the said ribs having upper and lower registering eyes, a pivot rod fitted in the upper registering, eyes with its ends supported in the frame, a channel member mounted on the frame parallel to and in rear of the breaker plate and having its web provided with openings, bolts having eyes at their inner ends to register with lower eyes of related ribs to receive pins to connect said bolts to the rear ,of the breaker plate, the outer ends of the bolts threaded, and passing through the openings of the web to receive nut assemblies, coil springs on the shanks of the bolts and confined between said clamping assemblies and the rear face of said web of the channel member and tending to pull the bottom edge of the breaker plate away from the hammer circle, supports extending inwardly from each end of the web toward the back of the breaker plate, a plurality of shims arranged in sets near opposite ends of the breaker plate and notched adjacent one of their ends to fit over the shanks of an adjacent-bolt and having their opposite ends resting on supports, said shims urging the lower edge of the breaker plate toward the hammer circle, a hydraulic cylinder having its base fixed in the frame, and a shaft in bearing contact with the rear of the breaker plate, whereby, upon the shaft being projected from the cylinder, the shims will be relieved of the pressure of said springs to facilitate their removal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,125,137 Liggett Jan. 19, 1915 1,783,373 Borton Dec. 2, 1930 1,872,233 Borton Aug. 16, 1932 2,566,583 Shelton Sept. 4, 1951 2,582,734 Adams Jan. 15, 1952 and-if 

